Remember When
by ieatleaves
Summary: When their lives start taking them in different directions, Sasuke and Sakura wonder if love is enough to keep them together. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

_I'm sitting with an empty glass and a broken heart,_  
_Thinking to myself what have I done,_  
_Cause as my future got bright we started losing light,_  
_And I couldn't see that you were the one._

* * *

Sakura's keys jingled merrily as she put them in the door lock to let herself into the apartment. It was half-past eleven o'clock at night, and she had just gotten back from a crazy shift at the hospital. It had been an incredibly long day – she had left home at seven thirty in the morning to go to classes and had gone straight from Konoha Medical School campus to the Konoha Hospital, where she was interning under the famous Dr. Tsunade, until just now.

The happy sound of the keys was almost cruel to her ears. Her body seemed to ache with exhaustion.

When she stepped into the apartment, she was greeted with darkness.

"Hello?" She called out softly. There was no answer.

Typical.

She turned on the lights to reveal a spacious living room with modern furniture, all tastefully decorated in black and white. Her home, which once had felt so inviting and comfortable, now appeared cold to her.

Automatically, she went to the phone that sat atop the table next to the plasma TV.

_Beep – "Sakura, working late again. Don't wait up." – Beep._

She stared at the phone as if willing it to speak more, but after the second beep, the phone went silent.

The curt messages on the machine were the extent of the conversation between Sasuke and herself these days. Though they lived together, she felt as if she had gone days without seeing him for the past several months.

She knew that it wasn't unreasonable that he had to work so late so often. He had recently become the CEO of the Uchiha Group at the age of 24, and the new role came with many responsibilities. The business had belonged to his family for two generations and was one of the most prestigious finance firms in the nation, if not the world. Having lost his family early in his childhood due to a tragic plane accident, the firm had been looked after by Sasuke's uncle, Madara Uchiha, until Sasuke finished business school. Once Sasuke graduated from Konoha Business School, Madara had gone abroad to spend his days in leisure, saying that the business had always belonged to Sasuke and that he was glad to be stepping down.

Sasuke, who had graduated at the top of his class from the best business school in the country, quickly made headlines as the new, young CEO in town. Many rooted for his failure; after all, he was still "just a kid." What could he possibly know about being a CEO in the finance world at such a young age?

Plenty, as it turned out. The firm _thrived_ under Sasuke, and it was more successful than it had ever been under Madara or Sasuke's parents.

But being so successful at work took its toll on his private life.

Sakura felt as if she never spent any time with her boyfriend of 3 years anymore. She was in her second year of the medical program at one of the best and most demanding schools around – Konoha Medical School. On top of the ridiculously challenging and abundant loads of school work she had, she was also working as an intern at the hospital.

Though Sasuke came from a family of privilege, Sakura had had to fight tooth and nail for everything she had ever gotten. She was from a low-middle class family, and while her education had always all been paid for by her scholarships, she still had to work for her living expenses. When she and Sasuke first moved in together, they had an enormous fight over sharing their expenses.

"_Sakura, stop being so goddamn stubborn – there's no reason you should have to work when I have more than enough to cover everything." Sasuke had all but shouted at her, frustrated. _

"_I don't need your money," she had shot back at him, "and I want to be able to pull my own weight around here. I'm not going to be one of those girls who rely on their boyfriends to buy everything for them, Sasuke. That's not me. That's _never _been me."_

In the end, Sasuke and Sakura settled on a compromise: Sasuke would pay for the rent, but she would pay for the utilities bills, and they would split groceries.

Sakura's lips began to form a tiny smile as she reminisced about that day. After arguing for so long, they had tired each other out and fell asleep on the floor against the couch together. When she woke up, she found herself tangled in Sasuke's arms.

When Sakura's thoughts made its way back over to the present and she eyed the quiet living room before her, however, her smile faded away. She glanced at the clock; it was almost midnight, for Christ's sake. Shouldn't he be able to leave work on the same day as he had entered it?

She picked up the phone and dialed his familiar number. If she couldn't see him yet again, she wanted to at least talk to him before she went to bed tonight.

"_This is Sasuke Uchiha's personal phone. I'm unavailable right n –"_

Straight to voicemail.

Again.

She stared stoically at the phone once more before she finally retreated into her – their – bedroom. She took a quick shower, slipped into one of Sasuke's old KU shirts that fell almost to her knees, and resigned herself to sleep. She wanted to wait up for Sasuke, but she found herself unable to keep her eyes open past 12:30 a.m., and she had another day of early classes and hospital work the next day.

The last thought she had before she finally succumbed to the deep sleep that engulfed her was that she was getting used to a half-empty bed.

And she hated it.

* * *

It was two in the morning.

Sasuke opened the front door as quietly as he could muster, knowing that Sakura must be asleep by now.

It was two in the fucking morning, after all.

He swiftly made his way to the bedroom, where he could hear the sound of soft, rhythmic breathing. He could discern Sakura's small shape on the bed in the darkness from the moon light that shone through their window.

It occurred to him, not for the first time, that the only version of Sakura he knew these days was one of her sleeping.

He couldn't be bothered with changing at this point. He tore off his already-loosened tie from around his neck and discarded his shirt, and pulled his tired body into the bed gently, not wanting to wake Sakura.

He had to be up in another four hours. Sasuke stole a glance at his pink-haired girlfriend next to him.

When was the last time he saw her green eyes staring into his? She was always asleep by the time he got home nowadays, since he worked such draconian hours. He reached out and took a few strands of Sakura's pink hair in his fingers.

She was so close, yet felt so far away at the same time.

With a sigh, he withdrew his hand from her hair and placed his arm across her shoulder, pulling her into him. Ever the sound sleeper, Sakura didn't wake up from the touch.

She also didn't hear the words that he whispered to her before Sasuke himself gave himself in to his fatigue and fell asleep.

"I'm sorry, Sakura."

* * *

**A/N: **Hey everyone! I've been feeling a bit uninspired with Outgrown lately, which is why I haven't updated in a few days - don't worry, though, I'll eventually get crackin' on it. But first I wanted to start this story - got the inspiration for it from the song, the lyrics to which is at the top of the story. I don't really like the actual song all that much, but I do like the lyrics. Please leave me reviews to let me know if you like the story and/or want me to continue with it! It's the best feeling ever when people say they actually enjoy the things you write :)


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

When she woke up in the morning, he was gone – as usual.

She used to love waking up to him. She almost always slept heavily and was not an early riser by nature; therefore, more often than not, she found herself waking up to a kiss on the forehead from Sasuke, who undoubtedly had been up for several minutes by then.

Sakura loved looking into his eyes in the morning. They always looked so relaxed and placid. It was difficult to catch him looking so vulnerable at any other time of the day besides the very early morning.

She missed it.

She lay still in bed, her eyes boring into the other side of the bed. She wondered what time Sasuke must have gotten home last night as she pulled the pillow from his side close to her. She buried her face into it, taking in the relics of Sasuke's lingering scent.

She knew it was time to get up and start getting ready for her day, but she couldn't bring herself to go about her usual routine.

She wanted to see him.

_What if I do go see him?_ A voice whispered in her heart. She almost flinched as she thought about the work that she would have to make up if she missed this morning's classes, and yet –

_I want_ _to see him._

* * *

"Oi, bastard. That's a good look for you; you should keep wearing that frown. I'm waiting for the day that your stupid face freezes that way."

When Naruto's voice came from the doorway, Sasuke silently cursed his secretary. Wasn't he paying her to keep people out of his office when he didn't want to be interrupted?

Without looking up from the papers in front of him, Sasuke muttered, "Go away. I'm busy. And you just got the secretary fired."

"Oh come on, how many secretaries a month do you plan on going through?" Whined the blonde.

"As many as it'll take to find one that won't let you in, no matter how much you try to bullshit them." Came the tense reply.

"I'll have you know that I have actual business to run by you this morning, despite your accusations of me lying to your secretaries to make them let me into your office. Shouldn't I have some kind of clearance, anyway? Like, a best friend clearance pass?"

"Yeah, when pigs fucking fly." Sasuke finally looked up at his blue-eyed friend. Naruto, with whom he had grown up, was making a name for himself as one of Konoha's top public defenders these days. Though he had graduated from Konoha Law School with surprisingly good marks that would have gotten him a position at any top law firm he wanted, Naruto had chosen to become a public defender. However, one of Sasuke's first order of business after becoming the head of Uchiha Group was to bring Naruto in as an independently contracted lawyer for his firm. Though Sasuke considered the blond to be an idiot in many respects, he also knew that his best friend knew his stuff when it came to the law – even corporate law, though he bitched and moaned about it every step of the way whenever he had to be involved with contracts.

"I have that meeting with the Hyuugas' firm later today. Have your secretary – if you still have one, that is – send me the exact figures for the bonds as soon as you're done looking it over."

"Aa." Sasuke sighed. Firing Ayume would have to wait, it seemed. He certainly didn't have any time to personally fax anything to anyone today.

Or any day, for that matter.

"You okay, man?" The blond observed as he seated himself on the couch in the office. "What time did you leave the office last night?"

"Late."

Naruto didn't speak for several moments, but Sasuke hardly noticed it, since he was perusing a couple of tricky contracts. When the blond spoke again, his voice lacked the usual boisterous humor. "How's Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke tensed. "Fine."

"She texted me last night, around dinner time. Said your phone was off."

"Aa."

Naruto wore a frown as he observed his friend whom he considered to be a brother. He could tell that he was wearing Sasuke's patience even thinner than usual today, and, contrary to his nature, he decided to leave Sasuke to work through the morning. He would try to convince the bastard to go get something to eat with him around lunch. Before he left, though, he felt that Sasuke needed to be reminded of something.

"Oi, Sasuke. Don't ignore Sakura-chan's calls. She's been missing you."

* * *

When he was finally left alone in his office, Sasuke let go of the pen in his hand and swept his hair away from his face.

_Don't ignore her calls. _

Is that what he's been doing?

He knew that it was wrong to shut himself out from her whenever he was at work – which was all the time these days.

He was ashamed that he couldn't give all of himself to the girl that he loved. The girl that loved him back despite all of his flaws and despite all the emotional baggage he carried from the death of his family. She deserved the world, he was sure of it; yet he had no time to devote to her anymore – and this made him feel so _fucking_ guilty that he couldn't stand to hear her voice on the other end of the phone anymore. Every time he heard her say his name as if he deserved her love when he didn't have an hour to spare for her made him feel as if he were the most worthless being alive.

So he had taken to leaving his personal phone off while he was at work these days.

When left alone to his thoughts, Sasuke Uchiha often realized that he hated nothing like he hated himself.

* * *

An hour later, the door to his office opened once again, and Sasuke, who was in the middle of signing papers, felt a burst of anger at his incompetent secretary once more.

"Ayume, I told you I _didn't want to see anyone this morni –"_

"It's me, Sasuke."

When he heard her voice, his head snapped up.

_Sakura?_

He glanced the silver rolex on his wrist. It was half-past nine. She should have been in class for an hour and a half by now. What was she doing in his office? Her brilliant green eyes sparkled at the sight of him, and he felt a sharp tug on his heart as it dawned on him for the umpteenth time that that her eyes sparkled at seeing _him._

That _he_ could make someone so radiant shine even brighter had always baffled him.

She was like a ray of light. Everything she touched seemed to shine, and everywhere she went seemed to be made brighter by her presence. He had never thought that he would ever think of anyone in such flourished terms, but in regards to Sakura, it came so naturally.

Of course, whenever they had one of their infamous fights about this and that, he often thought that she was an absolute madwoman who would surely drive him to an early grave. She could be downright infuriating at times when she wanted to be. But part of the reason he fell so hard for her was that he loved that she could drive him insane – that she could bring out the fieriest parts of him and make him forget all about his past. With her, he could be brought to the present, where she was with him every step of the way even despite all of the fighting.

They argued like crazy and had their share of mishaps throughout the years, but through it all, they had managed to stick by each other. _She was with him_. He couldn't believe that sometimes, and he had always been grateful for it. Seeing her standing in his office so unexpectedly made him forget about the papers he had been signing a moment ago.

"Sakura," he said, getting up from his desk and approaching the pink-haired girl.

"I'm sorry for barging in, Sasuke. I just wanted to… surprise you." Her voice trailed away, her tone uncertain.

When he realized that she sounded so uncertain because she wasn't sure if she was supposed to be there, Sasuke thought his heart felt as though it were being stabbed.

She should always know that she belonged anywhere that he was - except he knew that it was his own self that made her feel so unsure of her place next to him these days.

Without a word, Sasuke reached his hand out to hold her cheek, and closed the gap between them with a gentle kiss. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her – her flesh, her lips, _her._ She responded to his kiss gently but passionately, and Sasuke recognized the longing behind her lips.

She had missed him, too.

"Am I interrupting?" She pulled away from him to look him in the eyes. She looked worried.

"No." He leaned in once more to kiss her. He felt her smile underneath his lips, and his heart sped up. "But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class?" He murmured against her.

"Yeah, but," she put her forehead against his and looked downward. He could see her long, black lashes and feel her small hands curling into his. "I decided to play hooky this morning. I… I feel like I haven't seen you in forever, Sasuke."

She said her words quietly, almost timidly. This was different from her usual self-assured persona, and her next words were closer to a plea than a question. "Can you take the morning off?"

_Yes_, Sasuke wanted to say. He wanted to give the love of his life anything and everything that she asked for; he wanted to make her happy, to make _them_ happy together.

But –

"Mr. Uchiha, Mr. Nara's on the phone for you as well as Mr. Hatake. And just a reminder that your 10 a.m. meeting is in less than half an hour, sir."

Sakura flinched when Ayume's words cut through the room from the machine on Sasuke's desk.

"Sakura, I –" Sasuke began, but Sakura had pulled her face away from his already.

"It's okay." She said quickly. Too quickly. "This was a stupid idea. What was I thinking? You can't possibly skip your morning." She shot him a smile, but Sasuke could see that the smile lacked its usual brilliance.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I just – it's important, this meeting. And I really need to take that call with Nara; he's been trying to get a hold of me for two days." Even as the words were coming out, his heart screamed to his head that there was nothing more important to him in the world than the girl in front of him. So why was this not simpler?

Why couldn't he go off with her and make her happy for one fucking morning?

_You have a responsibility_, came a voice from inside him. _This company is all you have left of your parents and brother. _

"No, I know, Sasuke. I shouldn't have interrupted you at work. I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me this morning." She threw in a small chuckle that sounds hauntingly hollow to his ears. "I should get going and see if I can make it to the end of the lecture, at least." She stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll see you at home. Bye, Sasuke."

Without giving him a chance to react, she was gone in the blink of an eye.

_See you at home_, she had said.

He thought he had never heard her sound sadder than she had when she uttered those words.

* * *

**A/N: **Special thanks to **usuratonkachixx** for being the first and only reviewer so far! Please follow her lead, everyone, and leave me your thoughts if you've enjoyed the chapters! :)


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